It Sounded Better in My Head

Natalie finds out, on Christmas Day, no less, that her parents decided ten months ago that they are separating. While it is a friendly divorce, Natalie can’t help but feel hurt and forgotten. This is on top of the fact that her two best friends, Zach and Lucy, have decided they are a couple, making Natalie the third wheel. Growing up with extreme acne has dropped her self-esteem so she has zero confidence in herself when she and Alex, Zach’s brother, start dating. There is so much to dating that involves exposing the real self, but there is so much to Natalie that she would prefer to keep hidden, even as she begins to trust Alex. However, friends and ex-girlfriends and parents complicate things, as if a low body image and self-hatred wasn’t enough.

Natalie is an original character, dealing with extreme acne coupled with introversion, whose internal monologues and astute observations makes the debilitating experience, both physically and emotionally, real. Her frank conversations with Alex about sex and her body are refreshingly honest, bypassing the usual lack of communication that leads to typical stories of angst. Set in Australia during their summer season, this not-so-light-hearted romance will pull on the heartstrings.